Novel Baswedan receives Anti-Corruption Award 2020 from Malaysia's PIACCF

Kuala Lumpur (ANTARA) - Senior investigator of Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Novel Baswedan received the International Anti-Corruption Award 2020 from the Perdana International Anti-Corruption Champion Fund (PIACCF) to honor his commitment, bravery, and sacrifice in combating corruption in Indonesia.

Malaysian Prime Minister Dr.Mahathir Mohamad gave the award to Baswedan and Kevin Morais, deputy public prosecutor for the Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) who was murdered in 2015, in the launching ceremony of the PIACCF in Putrajaya on Tuesday evening.

Baswedan who suffered an acid attack while he was heading home after performing Fajr, or the dawn prayer, at a mosque near his house on April 11, 2017 said he thanked PIACCF for its attention, support, and appreciation.

The award given to him by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was not merely a real support and appreciation for him personally but also for all people who had chosen a road for fighting the corruption anywhere, Baswedan said.

Despite the risks and threats posed to those consistently combating corruption, the world's attention given to them was expected to become a new power for all people who had dedicated themselves to the fight against corruption, he said.

Founded to support and protect officials who are members of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA), the PIACCF is relevant to the goal of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which is the only legally binding international anti-corruption multilateral treaty.

At the launching ceremony, which was also attended by, among others, UN Resident Coordinator Stefan Priesner and IAACA's representative Martin Kruetner, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was accompanied by his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Binti Hj Mohd Ali.

Novel Baswedan, the Indonesian anti-graft body's senior investigator, was assaulted by two motorcyclists on April 11, 2017. As a result, he should have received medical treatment for his eyes in Jakarta and Singapore.

The two motorcyclists, reportedly behind the acid attack, managed to escape. These two suspects, who are police officers, were apprehended in Depok, West Java, on Dec 26, 2019 or more than a month after General Idham Azis was inaugurated as the Indonesian police chief to replace Tito Karnavian who was appointed to be the home minister.

Baswedan, a retired police officer, joined the KPK in 2007. Since then, he had been frequently terrorized and attacked.